Releasing Yourself from the Past

"Life must be understood backwards.  However, it must be lived forward."  We can learn incredible lessons from the past, however the next step to successful living is to understand how to use that lesson or information to create a positive future.

When life wants your attention, you may find yourself in a painful situation. Pain is a great teacher and usually  helps you notice when something is out of place, but it is not the pain that is the lesson- it is the message behind it. So, if you have a life ache, follow this sequence to release yourself from the past so you can live in an empowered future!  

1.  Identify What Happened
     Look at the situation at hand and identify what just took place with as little emotion as possible.
2.  Ask Yourself: What is the message is behind this?
     Remember everything that happens is here to teach you something on a deeper level.  If the message is buried deep, the pain may be more intense- but it is just trying to get your attention.  Try to look underneath the pain and see what is there.
3.  Stop & Silently Allow an Inner Answer to Surface
     Go into the classroom of silence and allow your inner self to guide you to a powerful awareness.
4.  Honor the Answer 
     Trust what comes to you in this classroom of silence.  Whatever pops up IS the answer (even if is seems simple, weird, out of left field, etc.).
5.  Release the Pain & Replace with the New Awareness
     After the new awareness is captured in the classroom of silence, release it.  Literally clinch your fists and then let them go; seeing this as a physical way to release the past.  Once you open your fists, place this new found awareness inside and then....
6.  Practice this NEW Awareness
     All personal growth requires practice.  After you have had an awareness it is going to take practice to keep this new thought present.  If thoughts of the past resurface after you have gone through this process, go through steps 2-5 again!  and Practice, Practice, Practice!

Remember:  Pain is a messenger, trying to get your attention.  So stop, ask, learn and grow!

The Happiness Process

When asked what happiness is, most people describe it as a feeling that comes from things outside of themselves; "I'm happy when I am traveling, or on the weekend, or at a social outing." But the happiness that we have the opportunity to touch in this lifetime comes from within, and is the key to feeling good about life. Finding how you feel and experience happiness is the first step. Describe happiness in your own terms, what does it mean to you? Where do you feel it in your body? The answers to these questions will lead you in a positive direction. Identifying is a powerful step to getting in touch with who you are, what you think and how you relate to a paticular subject.

The next step to understanding your happiness is begining to do the things that help you activate this feeling. Happiness does not exist outside of you, but it can be activated by outer things to help you find where it exists within. After you begin to ignite this feeling, you can then keep it humming on the inside. Discover what activates this feeling or state of mind in you by inquiring about the following: what makes you feel happy, content, peaceful, fulfilled, and then, do those things!

The last step in this process is sharing this inner state with the outer world. There is so much pain and hurting in this world, but a drop of happiness from you can begin to elevate the darkness. Emerson says it beautifully, "Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself." So in terms of this quote, by you begin happy in a moment and sharing it with another, you are affecting two people right then and there. This is a natural step to fidning a sense of purpose on a daily basis. Discover your happiness and share it with the world!